Saturday 27 March 2004
Midland Combination Premier
Coleshill Town 1 Leamington 2
Scorer: Craig Davies.
Attendance: 208.
With the championship race entering the home straight and the Romulus challenge faltering at Rugby, Leamington consolidated their position at the head of the table with a hard-fought win at Pack Meadow.
In a lively opening exchange, Herlihy had the first shot on goal in only the second minute. Coleshill had plenty of cover in defence marshalled superbly by Des Wilkes and Simon Bradbury and didn't hesitate to pass back to 'keeper Craig Jones at every opportunity. However, this almost proved costly in the fourth minute when Paul Nicholls closed down Jones as he tried to clear and saw the ball rebound just wide. A repeat in the nineteenth minute, this time involving Josh Blake, again saw the ball just fail to enter the Coleshill net. Jones's confidence took a hammering as his kicking deteriorated, but the stopper had little to do other than clear his lines.
If the sound of the cuckoo is the first sign of spring, the arrival of an ice cream van must be the second. Anyone going to buy a cone would have missed Brakes' opening goal on 33 minutes. A long clearance from Rich Morris was headed on by Herlihy to skipper Steve Thompson who let fly with a stunning shot, 0-1. The ball was still accelerating as it hit the back of the net and it was one of those moments that makes watching the game worthwhile.
However, the celebrations of the visiting supporters who made up the majority of the crowd of 208 were short-lived as, within four minutes, Coleshill were level through Craig Davies who caught out a square-looking defence to go on to confidently beat Morris in the Leamington goal; 1-1. Davies, still Coleshill's leading scorer, was making his second debut for Town after returning from an unsuccessful time at Romulus. The striker certainly brings a new dimension to Coleshill's play as his strength and directness gave the visitors defence problems all afternoon. Coleshill could so easily have taken the lead when the best chance of the game fell to Adrian Walker but his shot flew wide. The referee never came to grips with the robust approach of both teams, the worst being a rugby tackle by Darren Timms on captain Carl Smith and he was lucky to see just a yellow card. The travelling support, looking through rose coloured glasses, gave the official some abuse for his decision, but in fairness he and his assistants were poor all round and not just for one side.
Steve Thompson was continually pushing Leamington forward and he sent his namesake Martin through on 65 minutes, but to no avail. Then, with the nerves beginning to fray, up popped leading scorer Paul Nicholls on 69 minutes to stab the ball home in a goalmouth melee, with virtually the whole Coleshill team screaming for an off side decision, that never came.
Martin Thompson again had a chance to put the match beyond Coleshill's reach a minute from the end, but Jones saved with his legs. As it was, Brakes had to survive six minutes of stoppage time to secure the win that puts the title back in their hands.
Coleshill worked hard throughout and if Leamington are the bench mark then the signs of better things to come are well and truly there. Manager Mick Beadle was well pleased with his opposite numbers comment that this was Leamington's hardest game for some time, and must be eagerly awaiting the start of next season as he adds to his already improving squad.
Team;- Craig Jones, Ashley Downer, Steve Lees, Simon Bradbury, Derek Wilkes, Adrian Walker, Carl Smith, Kevin Wagstaff, Lee Dempster, Craig Davies, Pete Hall (Danny Carter). Subs not used Danny Nixon, Jamie Cartwright.
Another View
COLESHILL TOWN 1 v LEAMINGTON 2
Midland Combination Premier division Sat 27 Mar 04
By David Hucker
Brakes Bandwagon Rolls Again As Nicholls Nets At Coleshill
With the championship race entering the home straight and the Romulus challenge faltering at Rugby, Brakes consolidated their position at the head of the table with a hard-fought win at Packmeadow.
The bare and bumpy pitch was never going to suit Brakes' style of flowing football and it was clear from the outset that this was a day when the power play of Stuart Herlihy and Glen Webb was going to be needed. In a lively opening exchange, Herlihy had the first shot on goal in only the second minute. Coleshill had plenty of cover in defence and didn't hesitate to pass back to 'keeper Craig Jones at every opportunity. However, this almost proved costly in the fourth minute when Paul Nicholls closed down Jones as he tried to clear and saw the ball rebound just wide. A repeat in the nineteenth minute, this time involving Josh Blake, again saw the ball just fail to enter the Coleshill net.
If the sound of the cuckoo is the first sign of Spring, the arrival of an ice cream van must be the second. Anyone going to buy a cone would have missed Brakes' opening goal on 33 minutes. A long clearance from Rich Morris was headed on by Herlihy to skipper Steve Thompson who let fly with a stunning shot, 0-1. The ball was still accelerating as it hit the back of the net and it was one of those moments that makes watching the game worthwhile.
However, the celebrations of the visiting supporters who made up the majority of the crowd of 208 were short-lived as, within four minutes, Coleshill were level through Chris Davies who caught out a square-looking defence to beat Morris; 1-1. Davies had made the journey to rivals Romulus but had returned after a short spell to Coleshill and now looked like upsetting the applecart. Certainly, the home side seemed intent on unsettling Brakes by any means allowed by the referee and the fans became increasingly frustrated at what appeared to be uneven decision-making. Darren Timms, who had missed a golden opportunity to restore the lead on 55 minutes, was booked for a foul on Carl Smith who some would say had reaped what he had sown.
Steve Thompson was continually pushing his side forward and he sent his namesake Martin through on 65 minutes, but to no avail. Then, with the nerves beginning to fray, up popped leading scorer Paul Nicholls on 69 minutes to stab the ball home in a goalmouth melee, 1-2. The introduction of Jonny Burgess on 79 minutes allowed Webb to push up front and get into scoring positions.
Martin Thompson again had a chance to put the match beyond Coleshill's reach a minute from the end, but Jones saved with his legs. As it was, Brakes had to survive six minutes of stoppage time to secure the win that puts the title back in their hands. Andy Gregory was outstanding in defence and Darren Timms worked tirelessly in midfield alongside Herlihy.
Manager Jason Cadden was happy enough saying "we had to grind out a result, but everyone worked hard and we got the reward. It was a scrappy winning goal, but they all count. At this time of the season, the pitches are bad and it gets harder, but all we can do is keep on winning."
Leamington: Richard Morris; Glen Webb; Harj Dhesi; Tom Sidwell; Andy Gregory; Darren Timms; Stuart Herlihy; Josh Blake (Jonny Burgess 79); Martin Thompson; Paul Nicholls (Vernor Sleem 82); teve Thompson [Capt]
Subs Not Used: Seb Rockcliff
Coleshill Town 1 v 2 Leamington
First Team Match Reports 2003-2004
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